Press Release – Brazilian Navy suddenly seizes its old warship forcing it to sea

NGOs urgently call on President Lula to prevent Navy from sinking toxic ship in the Atlantic

 

The former Brazilian Aircraft Carrier named SÃO PAULO, laden with asbestos, PCBs and other toxic waste materials, was seized on Friday and forced out to sea by the Brazilian Navy, claiming in an official notice yesterday that the move had to be done as the vessel was supposedly in imminent danger of running aground or sinking off the Brazilian coast.  

 

Green groups that have been closely following the saga of the SÃO PAULO were shocked over this move and are not convinced by the Navy's sudden rationale that the ship posed an imminent danger.  They note that while it has been known for weeks that there are minor breaches in the hull in need of repair, the Navy itself refused for over three months to allow the vessel to return to one of its facilities for repair or survey.  The NGOs greatly fear that the Navy intends to never have the ship be returned to a port, never be re-examined for its quantity of hazardous wastes onboard, toxicity and suspected radioactivity, and will instead use an excuse of a small leak in the ship’s structure to force its sinking in the Atlantic Ocean. 

"It is now clear that the Navy does not want to receive any further scrutiny it would surely receive by returning home the SÃO PAULO, and it looks like they will now try to sink it using a false excuse -- out of sight, out of mind. The Navy has already taken the law into its own hands and is poised now to perpetrate a major environmental crime at sea unless President Lula as commander-in-chief intervenes."
Jim Puckett - Director - Basel Action Network (BAN)

BAN is citing the illegal seizure of a privately owned ship, as well as defiance of the Basel Convention. The latter requires the aircraft carrier to be safely returned to Brazil with Brazilian assistance, which the Navy has refused for three months. The London Protocol further forbids the intentional sinking of vessels unless all efforts have been first made to rid the ships of toxic waste residual materials such as heavy metals, asbestos and PCBs.    

 

In a meeting held on 29 December, a Navy representative already alluded  to a possible contingency action of sinking the ship.  At that meeting, the issue of the small leak in the SÃO PAULO’s hull was discussed and it was concluded that the ship was not in imminent danger of sinking but should still be returned to a Brazilian port to undergo repairs prior to being put out to bid again for recycling. Following that meeting and a few weeks after the Lula Administration was installed, the coalition of NGOs wrote a letter to the new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and to the director of IBAMA, the Brazilian Agency responsible for fulfilling Brazil's legal obligations under international law. The NGOs also issued a press release calling for the urgent safe docking of the vessel, fearing that it would indeed be abandoned by the Turkish owners. Within 24 hours of that press release, the Brazilian Navy, citing imminent hazard to the Brazilian population and environment inexplicably seized the vessel and seemingly forced a commercial tow ship to take it out to sea. 

 

In addition to the economic loss of a vast quantity of secondary steel the SÃO PAULO contains, a forced sinking by the Brazilian government would result in hundreds of tonnes of asbestos, toxic and persistent PCBs, heavy metal-laden paints and possible radioactive materials to be released into the marine environment in violation of international law (London Protocol) [1].

 

"We call on President Lula as the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Navy to intervene immediately and give orders to bring the SÃO PAULO back into Rio De Janeiro to be received at the same Navy dock from which it left or find a suitable recycling destination. Intentionally sinking this toxic aircraft carrier would equate to a state-sponsored environmental crime. "
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

NOTE

 

[1] Studies conducted at a US sinking site revealed toxic PCB leaching from a sunken aircraft carrier. According to the data, the leaching occurred at more than twice the US Navy and EPA’s pre-sinking modelled expectations. Leaching PCBs from the sunken vessel were found to be taken up by fish at the reef site, with an increase of concentrations in fish samples of 1,446% on average from pre-sinking to post- sinking.. As PCBs bioaccumulate in organisms and biomagnify in the food chain, they create health risks to organisms of all kinds. Due to PCB’s properties of persistence and toxicity, many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to PCBs. See BAN's report.

 

For more information:

 

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, e-mail: jpuckett@ban.org, Phone: +1 206-354-0391

Ingvild Jenssen, NGO Shipbreaking Platform, e-mail: ingvild@shipbreakingplatform.org, Phone: +32 (0)260.94.419

 

 

Press Release – Brazil must allow its own toxic aircraft carrier to dock

NGOs demand urgent action of Lula administration as ship needs repair and safe harbour

 

Three months after its return to Brazil following Turkey’s rejection to scrap it, the toxic aircraft carrier SÃO PAULO continues to be towed in circles off the coast of Pernambuco state, Brazil. The Brazilian Environment Agency (IBAMA) and Brazilian Navy have so far failed to provide the vessel with a safe mooring place despite a Salvage Master inspector having declared the ship is taking on water and needs repair. Left to drift twelve to sixteen nautical miles from land, burning fuel and resources, the new owners, MSK Maritime Services & Trading LTD, gave the Brazilian government a twelve-hour warning to allow the ship into port or they would immediately abandon it. Though this threat was met with a court injunction prohibiting such an action, NGOs say that the Brazilian government is to blame, and now must move with extreme urgency to resolve this matter.

 

In a letter to the new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the director of IBAMA, the coalition of international and national NGOs that has repeatedly raised the alarm is therefore now urging the new Brazilian administration to immediately allow the ship to dock at a Brazilian Naval facility so that it can undergo repairs and subsequently be carefully surveyed for all of the hazardous materials on board.

"Allowing the SÃO PAULO to continue its infinite loop off the coast of Brazil is a total dereliction of duty by the Brazilian Navy, IBAMA, and the Brazilian government as a whole. As it is their obligation under Article 8 of the Basel Convention, they must allow this vessel into port with haste to begin the necessary repairs and inspections and finally prepare the ship for its proper and safe recycling."
Jim Puckett - Director - Basel Action Network (BAN)

In their letter, the coalition laid out the requirements for proper and safe recycling of the vessel, which upon the decision to scrap it becamehazardous waste under the Basel Convention.  The groups reiterated the need for a full, independent, and transparent inventory of the hazardous materials (IHM) found onboard the ship, especially the asbestos, heavy metal-laden paints, PCBs, and the possible presence of radioactive isotopes. They also stated that the ship should not return to Aliaga, Turkey, where it was originally destined, following oposition by local communities and authorities due to the large amounts of hazardous materials onboard and concerns that these will not be managed in a safe manner, putting workers’and community health at risk. The NGOs also warned the government that the ship should not be scuttled or sunk to become an “artificial reef” or any other form of deliberate sinking, which the Brazilian Navy shockingly discussed as a possibility in a December 29 inter-agency meeting.

"What we are witnessing with the SÃO PAULO is gross negligence on the part of Brazil. We urge the new Lula administration to take immediate action to ensure that the aircraft carrier does not cause harm to the coastal environment in Brazil and finally is recycled in line with the best available practice."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

 

For more information:

 

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, e-mail: jpuckett@ban.org, Phone: +1 206-354-0391

NGO Shipbreaking Platform, e-mail: nicola@shipbreakingplatform.org, Phone: +32 (0)260.94.419

 

 

Press Release – Polluting shipbreaking practices threaten Ghanian shores

In light of the recent infrastructure developments taking place at its main ports of Tema and Takoradi, Ghana is aiming to become the main integrated maritime hub of the west African subregion. Yet, certain unregulated practices, such as the demolition of end-of -life vessels, still represent a threat for the ecosystem and the health of the quarter of the country's population that lives along the coast. 

 

Due to the weak enforcement of environmental legislation, low labour costs and occupational safety standards, and the absence of a legal framework covering the recycling of obsolete vessels, dozens of ships have been arbitrarily dumped on Ghanian shores in the last years. Evans Ago Tetteh, PhD Adjunct Lecturer at the Regional Maritime University in Accra, recently reported on the present situation of ship demolition in Ghana, and provided evidence on the environmental harm caused on the beaches of Kpone by the spillage of hazardous substances, such as marine diesel oil. Some of the toxic vessels beached in Ghana have European ties. It is the case of the refrigerated cargo ship NAFTILOS, which was owned by Greek company Fairport Shipping Ltd and which maritime databases still list as laid-up. 

"Ship demolition is causing marine pollution in Kpone and the surrounding towns. Because of the marine oils released into the sea, the fish stock is being depleted, making local fishermen poorer. "
Evans Ago Tetteh - PhD Adjunct Lecturer - Regional Maritime University of Accra

 

Shipbreaking yards are granted licences by the Ghana Maritime Authority and permits by the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority, but neither entity follows through on the process to ensure that the scrapping process is conducted in an environmentally sound manner. To date, the Ghana Shipping Act 2003 (Act 645), the Ghana Maritime Pollution Act (Act 932), the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Act 490) and the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control Management Act 2016 (Act 917) are the only laws designed to regulate the ship recycling business, without any sector-specific rules. 

 

In recent years, the number of steel companies in Ghana has increased, particularly near the Tema Kpone industrial zone, as well as the country’s thirst for steel scrap. In light of this new demand for raw materials, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform is calling upon the government of Ghana to develop new legislation tailored to regulate ship recycling activities in line with European standards, and to set up a clean and safe industry with adequate downstream waste management facilities. The beaches are not a suitable place for the breaking of toxic vessels.

 

Press Release – Toxic aircraft carrier dangerously drifting after weeks at sea

NGOs demand that Brazil allows the São Paulo to dock

 

Three weeks have passed since the toxic aircraft carrier SÃO PAULO came back to Brazil after Turkey blocked its import and the Brazilian Environmental Agency IBAMA required its return. Yet, the vessel is still drifting more than 12 miles off the coast of the State of Pernambuco, while both the Brazilian Navy and IBAMA fail to demand and provide a safe haven to prevent potential harm to the marine environment.

 

Alarmed by the presence of toxic materials within the structure of the SÃO PAULO, the State Environment Agency (CPRH) of Pernambuco denied the docking of the hull at the Port of Suape, located south of Recife on the southern coast. Several other Brazilian facilities approached by SOK, the vessel’s owner, likewise refused to temporarily host the vessel due to an alleged lack of available berths or technical capacity. International and national NGOs [1], observers of this impasse, demand responsible action on the part of Brazil as a matter of urgency.

"It is time for Brazilian authorities to stop passing the buck and collectively take responsibility for a dangerous situation. IBAMA is now charged with the environmentally sound management of this ship, and yet it is again failing to ensure this outcome. Meanwhile, we know the Navy has room for the vessel, which should be required to berth immediately. No more games!"
Nicola Mulinaris - Senior Communication and Policy Advisor - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The ship reached its current location on October 5, per instructions by the Directorate of Ports and Coasts of the Brazilian Navy. The latter had ordered for the hull to be inspected in the maritime waiting area by a Salvage Master company, contracted by SOK, in order to verify its integrity. Accordingly, AWS Service performed inspections on October 12 and October 14, and concluded that, due to degradation and structural damage as a result of environmental influences, the "immediate mooring/docking is recommended for structural repair, to avoid the expansion of damage and the possible loss of stability for a long period at sea."

 

After the ship is safely moored in Brazil, NGOs call for a complete re-initiation of the plan for the safe recycling or reuse of the ship - one that ensures that human health and the environment are protected as a priority. Considering the illegality of the attempted transboundary movement of hazardous waste to Turkey under a Barcelona Convention protocol, and the buyer’s unreliable Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) submissions, the NGOs are urging Brazil and France (the original naval owner) to start over, perform a new IHM, and initiate a new sale with only legal and capable destinations participating.

"Even if, as recently alleged by the Brazilian Navy, the removal of 55 tons of asbestos took place three decades ago, hundreds of tons of asbestos and other toxic materials are still likely to be on board the SÃO PAULO. Based on the amounts found on the sister ship, the CLEMENCEAU, this ship is expected to contain around 900 tons of hazardous materials, including PCBs and asbestos. The claims that the structures of the SÃO PAULO are contaminated with only 10 tons of asbestos are far from reality."
Annie Thébaud-Mony - Ban Asbestos France

 

For more information:

 

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, e-mail: jpuckett@ban.org, Phone: +1 206-354-0391

Annie Thébaud-Mony, for Ban Asbestos-France Association, email: annie.mony@gmail.com

Asli Odman, Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch, email: asliodman@gmail.com

NGO Shipbreaking Platform, e-mail: info@shipbreakingplatform.org, Phone: +32 (0)260.94.419

 

NOTE

 

[1] NGO Shipbreaking Platform, Basel Action Network (BAN), BAN Asbestos France, Henri Pézerat Association (Work, Health, Environment), International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), İstanbul İSİG (İşçi Sağlığı ve İş Güvenliği) Meclisi, Greenpeace Mediterranean, Brazilian ABREA (Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto).

 

 

Press Release – Turning point: new tech and developments for a new future of ship recycling presented at the Lab

Stakeholders that are pioneering a new future for sustainable ship recycling gathered in Rotterdam at the NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s Ship Recycling Lab: Transformation through Innovation. New technologies, ethical circular economy models, strategic policies for the steel industry, and many more topics linked to ship demolition, ship design, waste management and material recovery were discussed during the two-day event. 

"We aimed at boosting engagement for a new standard at the Ship Recycling Lab. Companies that can safely dismantle large assets ‘off the beach’ and use technologies ranging from automation and robotics to the age-old, tried and true use of dry docks came in numbers. Coupled with the growing market for sustainably produced scrap steel, it has become clear that the business case for truly responsible ship recycling is rising."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

 

The current industrial and political shift to a circular and low-carbon economy has brought ship recycling to a turning point. Participants at the Lab showcased how they are seizing new opportunities for innovation created by the momentum for green and regenerative design, production and end-of-life management.  

 

Circular Maritime Technologies International BV (CMT) chose the Lab to share its new cutting technology, which is transferable to any facility and reduces the vessel's size in several automated steps. 

 

Founders of Leviathan GmbH, Simeon Hiertz and Karsten Schumacher, announced at the Lab their cooperation with German Naval Yards on facilitating clean and safe ship recycling in Kiel. The technology developed by Leviathan, which includes the use of robots and cold water cutting techniques, will be available to owners of large vessels in a dry dock of 426x88m.

"Now our vision of automated, people- and environmentally-friendly ship recycling is becoming a reality. At the same time, we are securing important steel as a raw material for European steel production, assisting European steelmakers to reduce their carbon footprint."
Simeon Hiertz - Founder - Leviathan GmbH

 

Head of Climate Change and Governmental Affairs at ArcelorMittal Europe, Stephane Tondo, also speaking at the Lab, stated that the green transition will require the decarbonisation of steel production. According to EuRIC, using one tonne of sustainably produced scrap saves at least 1.67 tonnes of CO2. Increasing the share of scrap in steel production and ensuring proximity to raw materials are key strategies to ensure decarbonisation, said ArcelorMittal. The latter revealed its cooperation with CMT for the possible development of a new ship recycling facility in Gent, Belgium, close to its steel plant. Noting that the European Union (EU) will soon become a net importer of scrap, ArcelorMittal is now looking for additional partnerships with recyclers close to its other steel plants in the EU in order to ensure access to good quality scrap steel from vessels. 

 

"There are many reasons to be optimistic and to bet on the innovators that spoke at the Lab. They are convinced that responsible ship recycling can compete, especially given that integrated circular economy hubs, where building, maintenance, repair and material recovery take place side by side, are in view."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

For those who want to learn about the new developments that will shape the future of the industry and the forward-thinkers that spoke at the Lab, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform has published the new magazine Breaking Out: Anchoring Circular Innovation for Ship Recycling. This first edition of Breaking Out cuts across sectors with an eye on the latest technologies and policies aimed at reinventing ship recycling for the twenty-first century.

"Green investors will find lots of inspiring projects in Breaking Out. We also encourage ship owners that unfortunately did not make it to the Lab in great numbers to read the magazine. It is a solutions-oriented publication providing insights on what responsible recycling means via in-depth articles, interviews and spotlight profiles. It showcases very concrete new destinations for their end-of-life assets."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Press Release – Toxic aircraft carrier São Paulo rejected by Turkey returning to Brazil

Environmental and labour groups declare victory 

 

The toxic waste-laden aircraft carrier SÃO PAULO is on its way back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. IBAMA, the Brazilian Agency that had approved the export, was forced to recall the ship after Turkey barred its entrance on August 26, 2022, pending a proper and credible accounting of the volumes of hazardous wastes on board, including asbestos, PCBs, toxic paints, and radioactive wastes.

 

Prior to this dramatic reversal, a broad coalition of civil society organisations and concerned citizens had raised the alarm about the final voyage of the massive vessel, alerting authorities in Brazil, Turkey, and countries all over the Mediterranean region with numerous, detailed letters describing the illegality of the transboundary movement of the hazardous wastes on board the ship. The opposition against the export also manifested itself in large street protests in Aliağa, Izmir, and elsewhere in Turkey.  Additionally, the UK territory of Gibraltar had stated that it would disallow the passage of the ship through its territorial waters prior to Turkey’s decision.

"It is gratifying to see that Turkey took our concerns regarding the illegality of this shipment of hazardous wastes seriously. We suspect that many of the old ships being landed and scrapped in Turkey are not legal shipments according to the international waste trade treaties – the Basel and Barcelona Conventions."
Nicola Mulinaris - Senior Communication and Policy Advisor - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Under the Basel Convention, inventories of hazardous materials must be accurate, and the environmentally sound management of the toxics assured. Further, under the Izmir Protocol of the Barcelona Convention, Turkey is not allowed to import hazardous wastes into its territory.

 

So far, two suspect Inventories of Hazardous Materials (IHMs) have been submitted by Sök Denizcilik and Ticaret Limited, the buyer of the ship, despite the impossibility to access the majority of the ship’s structure to conduct a proper assessment. Both documents identify quantities of hazardous substances, such as asbestos and PCBs, far below the actual amounts found on SÃO PAULO’s sister ship CLEMENCEAU. The latter was built with the same design and was found to contain hundreds of tons of asbestos and PCBs at the time of its recycling in the UK. The buyer’s claim of a reported 9 tons of asbestos, no PCBs, and no radioactive residues on board the SÃO PAULO is thus seen as highly improbable.

 

Now, with the initial victory declared, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, together with the Basel Action Network (BAN), BAN Asbestos France, the Henri Pézerat Association (Work, Health, Environment), International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), İstanbul İSİG (İşçi Sağlığı ve İş Güvenliği) Meclisi, Greenpeace Mediterranean, and Brazilian ABREA (Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto), is calling for a new independent IHM to be performed under the review of the French Government, and, importantly, for an entirely new auction to take place with only legal destinations participating.

 

When France sold the vessel to Brazil, the sale agreement specified that the ship could not be sent for dismantling without prior French approval. Given the current circumstances, France should now assist IBAMA in making sure an impartial and objective assessment of the quantities of hazardous materials on board is carried out, and the removal of asbestos, PCBs, radioactive substances, and toxic paints is performed in full compliance with national and international rules aimed at protecting both workers and the environment from poor waste management practices.

 

Several European yards, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, have been showing interest in properly managing the recycling of the vessel. Additionally, a Brazilian organisation has been relentlessly campaigning for the conversion of the ship into a museum. Considering the illegality of the attempted transboundary movement and the buyer’s unreliable IHM submissions, Brazil is urged to start over, and initiate a new sale and be ready to consider alternative offers even if they are more expensive.

 

The SÃO PAULO is scheduled to arrive in Rio de Janeiro on October 4. According to the civil society groups, without a new accurate IHM, environmentally sound waste management plans, a new auction, and assurances of legal export, the ship must not be allowed to leave Brazil again.

"It is vital that the important job of managing our old toxic ships is done in accordance with international law and with the highest levels of care available on earth. Turkey certainly has no wish to be considered the world’s cheap and convenient waste dumping ground."
Asli Odman - Academic - Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch

 

For more information:

 

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, e-mail: jpuckett@ban.org, Phone: +1 206-354-0391Annie Thébaud-Mony, for Ban Asbestos-France Association, email: annie.mony@gmail.com
Asli Odman, Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch, email: asliodman@gmail.com
NGO Shipbreaking Platform, e-mail: info@shipbreakingplatform.org, Phone, +32 (0)260.94.419

 

 

Platform News – REMINDER: Ship Recycling Lab on 20-21 September in Rotterdam

It’s almost time! We hope your calendars are marked because the Ship Recycling Lab is about to take place in the shipping hub of Rotterdam.

 

On the 20th and 21st of September, forward-thinking stakeholders from the maritime, recycling and steel sectors, financial institutions, and policymakers will gather at the iconic Kunsthal Museum, where they will showcase and exchange ideas for best practices and strategies for ship demolition, design, waste management and material recovery in line with ethical circular policy goals.

 

The event will provide visibility to companies that have developed solutions, including innovative cutting techniques, new state-of-the-art waste handling procedures, cradle-to-cradle concept design, and clean steel breakthrough technologies aimed at achieving a zero-carbon steel-making process. Curious and want to learn more? Check out the list of speakers and the online agenda here.

 

What are the impacts of unregulated shipbreaking practices on workers and the environment? What does it mean to sustainably recycle vessels in line with ethical circularity? What impacts will the increased demand for scrap steel have on the ship recycling market? How can new innovative technologies and economic and policy instruments drive an ethical circular economy?

 

We try to answer these questions in conversation with leading advocates for environmental justice, ship owners, steel producers, policy makers, researchers, shipbuilders, ship recycling experts, and many more.

 

Don’t waste any time. Register and buy your tickets now at www.shiprecyclinglab.org. Come join us! 

Any questions? Contact us at events@shipbreakingplatform.org.
 

We encourage you to join the discussions on Twitter using the hashtag #SRLab. You can also follow the event organisers @ShipRecLab and @NGOShipbreaking.

 

Press Release – Turkish authorities ban the entrance of toxic aircraft carrier São Paulo

Success after weeks of public protests

 

Turkey has finally banned the toxic aircraft carrier SÃO PAULO from entering its national waters. For weeks, local environmental and labour rights groups, supported by international NGOs, have been protesting the voyage of the vessel from Brazil to Aliağa, demanding compliance with the Basel and Barcelona Conventions.

"From a marvelous public march with the participation of thousands of people in Aliağa to theatrical demonstrations in the center of İzmir and public statements in front of official buildings, all people came together around one single demand: to stop this toxic ship! Digital and conventional signature petitions reached more than 150.000 people within a month! The will and never-ending commitment of people forced policy makers to reconsider the mistake they had made."
Gokhan Ersoy - Project Development Officer - Greenpeace Mediterranean

The decision by Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, City and Climate Change, comes after a Federal District Court injunction to stop the departure of the ship was not enforced, and the Brazilian government and the buyer of the vessel failed to produce and submit a second Inventory of Hazardous Material (IHM) in order to properly identify the amounts of toxics onboard the ship. Indeed, a second audit was deemed necessary by Turkey after environmental and human rights organisations challenged the validity of the first one.

"The extraordinary resistance against the export of this ship comes at a moment of intensive environmental damage to this part of the world because of the ‘open door’ waste policy of the Turkish government. No environmental or social dumping should be allowed to be able to put the environmental standards on firm ground. Thus our struggle is not only a national one."
Asli Odman - Academic - Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch

Following the cancellation of Turkey’s consent to the transboundary movement, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) has issued a letter to Oceans Prime Offshore Agenciamento Maritimo Ltda, the exporting company working with the buyer SOK, to arrange the immediate return of the SÃO PAULO to Brazil. However, to date, the company in control of the vessel has not yet provided information regarding the route change.

"Together with the Basel Action Network (BAN), BAN Asbestos France, Henri Pézerat Association (Work, Health, Environment), International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), İstanbul Isig Meclisi, Greenpeace Mediterranean, and Brazilian ABREA (Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto), the NGO Shipbreaking Platform is now calling for the governments of Morocco, Spain, and the UK to immediately halt the vessel should it attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. There is no doubt that we are witnessing a clear case of illegal traffic."
Nicola Mulinaris - Senior Communication and Policy Advisor - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

 

For more information:

 

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, e-mail: jpuckett@ban.org, Phone: +1 206-354-0391Annie Thébaud-Mony, for Ban Asbestos-France Association, email: annie.mony@gmail.com
Asli Odman, Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch, email: asliodman@gmail.com
NGO Shipbreaking Platform, e-mail: info@shipbreakingplatform.org, Phone, +32 (0)260.94.419

 

 

Public protest rally march on 4 August 2022 in Aliağa, Turkey. Image provided by Greenpeace Mediterranean.

Press Release – Turkey demands new survey of massive toxic warship before import


Green groups applaud Turkish request

 

The Brazilian government and Sok Denizcilik Tic.Ve Ltd.Sti (SOK) of Aliaga, Turkey, the buyer of the Aircraft Carrier SÃO PAULO, were sent scrambling on August 9, when Turkish authority Eyüp Karahan General Director of Environmental Management, on behalf of Minister Çevre Yönetimi Genel Müdürü, sent a letter to the Brazilian agency IBAMA, Competent Authority for the Basel Convention, requiring a new Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) to be conducted prior the export:

 

"... As a result of the Supreme Court's interim injunction, news in the press, and the hazardous materials notices made to our Ministry, it has emerged that a new Inventory of Hazardous Materials for the ex-naval vessel in question should be prepared while the vessel is in Brazilian territorial waters before it comes to our country."

 

Claiming for weeks that the export of the ship from Brazil to Turkey is illegal under the Basel and Barcelona Conventions and that the current IHM is not credible, environmental, and labor rights groups working on this matter in Turkey, Brazil, and internationally praised the Turkish action.

"Turkey is to be applauded for asking for a true and accurate survey and inventory. The current one is simply not believable based on what we know about older aircraft carriers. We have real concerns that the provided inventory grossly underestimates the hazardous and radioactive materials on board the São Paulo."
Nicola Mulinaris - Senior Communication and Policy Advisor - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

It must be noted that Grieg Green, the survey company that issued the IHM for SOK, :

 

-  admitted they had access to only 12% of the ship;

-  did not have access to the IHM prepared by the Brazilian Navy;

-  concluded there were no radioactive materials onboard;

-  did not compare with the IHM issued by Bureau Veritas for the vessel’s sister ship CLEMENCEAU;

-  did not adequately test (only six samples) Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) concluding there were none;

-  concluded that there might be more asbestos onboard the aircraft carrier than the estimated 9 tons; and

-  recommended further sampling during dismantling operations.

 

The SÃO PAULO's sister ship CLEMENCEAU was estimated to have at least 760 tons of asbestos, a figure which was later confirmed by Bureau Veritas upon the dismantling of the CLEMENCEAU at the scrap yard ABLE UK.

 

IBAMA has responded to the Turkish request by saying the ship had already left Brazil so therefore it was not possible to fulfill the request that a new inventory be made in Brazilian territorial waters.

 

Indeed, just a few hours following the court injunction on August 4, the ship was hastily towed out to sea, and instead of following the towage plan which projected it sailing along the Brazilian coast, the tow train made an easterly heading to leave Brazilian territory as rapidly as possible. 

 

Despite the federal injunction which is now considered out of force, and the new demand for a new IHM by Turkey, neither IBAMA, the Brazilian Navy, nor SOK have made any move to turn the ship back to Brazil. It is currently moving at its top speed just off the coast of Mauritania and is just a few days away from the Strait of Gibraltar. Meanwhile, neither Spain, the UK nor Morocco have been notified or given consent for it to pass through their waters at Gibraltar as is required by the Basel Convention.

 

While IBAMA seems unwilling to respect the request by Turkey that the new survey be conducted in Brazil, they, nevertheless, wrote to the exporting company working with SOK, known as Oceans Prime Offshore Agenciamento Maritimo Ltda., to remind them that it is within the rights of the importing country to amend their import consent with new conditions. They suggested that a new IHM may be required "upon arrival" and would need to be paid for by SOK. However, doing the job in Turkey instead of Brazil is likely to be illegal.

"Under no circumstances should Turkey agree that the new survey be conducted in Turkey or any other country other than Brazil. Under the Basel Convention, a proper inventory of hazardous materials can only be conducted prior to export."
Jim Puckett - Director - Basel Action Network (BAN)
"The rush by the Brazilian government to get out to sea without checking to see if Turkey has laws against such import, to alert transit countries, and before a court injunction can be properly served, is not an excuse for Turkey to ever allow this ship into our territory. It must go back now. It should not even be allowed to pass into the Mediterranean Sea."
Asli Odman - Academic - Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch

 

For more information:

 

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, e-mail: jpuckett@ban.org, Phone: +1 206-354-0391Annie Thébaud-Mony, for Ban Asbestos-France Association, email: annie.mony@gmail.com
Asli Odman, Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch, email: asliodman@gmail.com
NGO Shipbreaking Platform, e-mail: info@shipbreakingplatform.org, Phone, +32 (0)260.94.419

 

 

Press Release – Imminent breaking of asbestos-laden NOASS Miller Freeman worries NGOs and local residents of Union Bay, British Columbia

With the latest news that a ship containing high amounts of toxic substances will be dismantled in Union Bay, Stand.earth, Georgia Strait Alliance, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform and the Basel Action Network (BAN) once again call upon B.C. federal, provincial and local competent bodies to halt the shipbreaking activities conducted by Deep Water Recovery LTD (DWR) at Union Bay, traditional unceded territory of several First Nations within Baynes Sound.

 

Nearby residents and K’ómoks First Nation (KFN) have raised serious concerns regarding the conditions at the yard for the past two years. In February 2022, following local and international pressure, the Comox Valley Regional District Board determined that the scrapping of vessels is not a permitted activity in the Industrial Marine (IM) zone according to the Zoning Bylaw, and sought an injunction against DWR in an attempt to shut it down. In April 2022, MP Gord Johns raised in the House of Commons the issue of shipbreaking at Union Bay and the lack of national regulation. Yet, despite these developments, local residents inform that operations at DWR have never ceased, with the former US government-owned vessel NOAAS Miller Freeman (R 223) ready to be scrapped. 

 

Given its age and type, the NOAAS Miller Freeman ship is likely to contain high amounts of hazardous substances in its structures, such as toxic paints and asbestos, which are a threat to humans and local wildlife, including shellfish. The ship was sold at auction in 2013. The Government Services Agency cautioned bidders about the presence of asbestos in pipe insulations, floor tiles, and wallboards. Without mentioning the exact amounts of hazardous materials, the bidding documents specifically recommended the buyer(s) to not release asbestos fibers by “cutting, crushing, sanding, disassembling”, operations that will take place at DWR once the vessel will be completely pulled out of the water.

 

In addition to stopping the work in Union Bay, a federally designated zone of water that is biologically significant, the groups call on the Federal Government and the Province to regulate shipbreaking in Canada and mandate that vessels be recycled in a safe and environmentally sound manner at proper industrial sites that ensure a contained environment. 

 

An aerial view of the NOASS Miller Freeman at Union Bay - © Concerned Citizens of Baynes Sound